Ms. Parreira:
Megan Parreira has taught for eleven years and is now a Spanish 1, Spanish 2, and Spanish 3 teacher at San Marin. She was born and raised in Sonoma County and attended Sonoma State University where she received her bachelor’s degree and a single subject credential in Spanish. Ever since she was twelve years old, Parriera knew she wanted to be a Spanish teacher because of the major impact that her middle school teacher had on her life. Her teacher, Mr. Caldwell, always made class fun and engaging which is what she now strives to do when teaching her students. Although the pandemic has affected her in both positive and negative ways, she has spent time practicing her cooking skills at home, focusing on self care, and making better eating choices. In her free time, Parreira loves to ride her bike, go swimming, watch Giants’ baseball, walk her dog, and go camping or hiking with her boyfriend in Point Reyes.
Ms. Steiner:
Wendy Steiner has been teaching for thirty-four years and is now teaching in the special education department for student academic support for grades 9-12. She grew up in Miami, Florida and attended Florida International University for her bachelor’s degree and Nova Southeastern University for her master’s. Steiner loves spending time with younger people and she loves to see the moment when kid’s “light bulbs go on” when they learn something new. She has a black mini-poodle who she loves to take on walks and also enjoys spending time with her daughter. In her free time, Steiner likes playing in her garden, doing outdoor activities, and going to concerts.
Ms. Hausler:
Michelle Hausler has been teaching high school students for three years and she is now teaching math at San Marin. Previously, she worked at Indiana University as an Associate Instructor teaching Math Methodology courses to people in teaching license programs. She grew up in Vacaville and attended Cal State Fullerton and Hope International University for her Bachelor’s Degree in Math and then received her Master’s in Math Education at Indiana University. Outside of school, Hausler enjoys spending time in the mountains hiking, camping, snowboarding, cooking, and experimenting with new recipes. She has traveled to other countries like Switzerland and Austria in the Alps and has her private pilot license. Hausler decided to become a teacher because she loves the joy of seeing students understand and begin to believe in themselves, but the hardest part about teaching for her right now is not being able to meet her students in person so that she can get to know them.
Ms. McGurke:
Mary McGurke has been a classroom teacher for over 12 years and an educator for 20 years. Before teaching at San Marin, she taught at Sinaloa as an English, AVID, and ELA teacher, and will now teach AVID, ELA, and ELD at San Marin. McGurke grew up in Southwestern Pennsylvania and she attended John Carroll University where she received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Humanities. McGurke also received her single subject teaching credential and her multiple subject teaching credential from Fresno State. In her free time, she loves to sea kayak and go kayak fishing along with gardening, beekeeping, and reading. McGurke decided to become a teacher because she believes that education gives people the ability to express themselves and their thoughts clearly. With students beginning to use their voices and understand others, McGurke believes that we can build tolerance and harmony as a community in order to create a better world.
Mr. Louderback:
Before working as a Social Cognition teacher at San Marin, Sean Louderback taught at several different schools in and outside of the Bay Area. He grew up in Lucas Valley and moved to Novato after his sophomore year in high school. Louderback attended Gonzaga University where he received his History credential and a Minor in Philosophy. At Dominican University he also received his Education Specialist Credential, his Single Subject Credential in Social Science, and his Master’s in Education. In his free time, Louderback enjoys hanging out with his sisters, playing with his nieces and nephews, and traveling. He has been to 23 countries, with his favorite being Cambodia because of how nice the people were and how beautiful their temples were. Louderback always thought about becoming a teacher, but it wasn’t until after college that he knew that was exactly what he wanted to do. He picked up a job working with troubled youth and immediately fell in love with it. Although it is hard being a teacher because you have to “be on it all day and everyday” so that students will learn, Louderback enjoys watching students understand what he teaches.
